Pressure Gauge Sensor Leaking - Connector Stuck in Pump Housing

[Get_Army]

Hi, I had something of a boiler nightmare at the weekend. I've noticed occasionally that the DHW was failing to run and the flow switch LED was failing to illuminate and having already changed the clip on part of the flow detection circuit, I bought the replacement flow switch cartridge. This should have been a simple job of unscrewing the cartridge from the return group and replacing with the new one. However the flow switch cartridge was stuck fast and eventually sheared in two leaving half of it stuck in the return group.

Therefore I had to remove the return group and attempt to get the stuck part out - great timing on the Saturday of a bank holiday weekend! Fortunately, by tapping a large torx driver bit into the stuck half of the cartridge, I managed to get enough leverage to unscrew the it and set about reassembling everything.

During disassembly I had tried to remove the pressure gauge connector from the pump housing and it was also stuck fast (yes I did remove the U clip). I elected to leave it connected and remove the pressure gauge assembly along with the pump.

Unfortunately, on refilling the system it was apparent that water was weeping out from the where the tiny pipe is soldered into the body of the connector - it's actually loose and clearly needs a new pressure gauge assembly, which I've ordered and will be receiving tomorrow.

However, I'm concerned that when I put any pressure on the tiny pipe, it's going to come off completely and leave me with no way of removing the body of the pressure gauge connector.

Pic below - Any tips on how I get this out?

 

[Madrab]

Need to get something in under the lip of the copper flange and prise it up, what boiler is it?

 

[Get_Army]

It's an Ariston Microgenus MFFI 31. As far as I could see there is no lip there to get under - it's flat and flush across the top.

Thanks!

 

[Madrab]

Yup, you need to get a small flat bladed screwdriver or pick in under the top of the connector that slots into the Hbloc. If you look at the new part when it arrives you will see it's got a flat button top section that the capillary pipe is soldered into, that slot down into the hydroboloc that has the seal in it and then the clip holds it. That needs to be teased out using a blade/thin screwdriver/pick and get under the top edge of it and lever it out. Either that or depressurise the boiler snap the tube off of it and then put a thin screw into the hole and then pull it up.

 

[Get_Army]

Thanks, that was a great suggestion. There were actually a pair of little recesses around the connection hole, like little cats ears which I didn't notice at first because they were full of crud/scale. I broke the tip off my best electrical screwdriver trying to prise it out using these and gave up on that method.

I then tried pulling the capillary pipe and, predictably, it pulled straight out. I tried your suggestion of screwing in a thin screw and that worked a charm. The new gauge plugged straight in, u-clip in, fill the boiler back up and we're running dry as a bone!

Thanks!